Be careful where you dig.

[wormhole]

Headed out yesterday as the temperature in NY was near 60. It was a tad bit overcast and I expected rain. The rain wasn't to be an issue this particular afternoon however. I hit an area that I have hit hard in the past. While doing my thing, I noticed an area of trees that I definitely hadn't hit before. They were a bit further away and closer to the road. Beautiful, statuesque Oaks that I had some how missed in the past. I wish I hadn't spied them yesterday. Most people avoid Poison Oak as it is highly recognizable when it is above ground . Of course, I had to dig this awesome signal that my DFX was singing. Got down on my knees, dug a nice hole...hit a root. Pulled out my trusty pocket key-hole saw and proceeded to do away with that pesky root. Well..the root got the last laugh as today (in early March), I am covered with poison oak .

I mean I am a huge Poison Ivy junkie. I usually get it 3 or 4 times a season but poison oak This early in the dam season? So as a reminder folks..you can get all sorts of nasty's when digging including the many varieties of poison plant oils..either from the plant or the root . SO WEAR YOUR GLOVES!! And whatever you do, don't touch yourself in that special place. John Holmes would be envious of swollen %&*$.

As to the signal...it was an old Willy's headlight, complete with wire mesh safety cover. *sigh*

 

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[sasnz]

Ohh i hope you didnt get in on your private parts, Sounds a little nasty.

sasnz

 

[cw0909]

sorry to hear about the poison oak,
but do you have a pic of the willy headlite,
my cuz has a 44 willy and was looking for
parts, back in the fall. is it original or aftermarket

 

[rmptr]

Hey Worm! There's the silver lining... maybe a sale on the part!

I know a rather wealthy woman... big on the society pages...
On a committee to decorate a stage, or parade float, or something like that...
She and her daughter filled the trunk and interior of the Lincoln with poison oak leaves to bring back to town for the project. Pretty leaves! Both were bedridden for about a month, if I recall.

Bad stuff.

I've gotten it bad, myself, in the past.
Had scars that lasted a couple years from it.
I learned.

The Mother Lode, here in Kalifornia is full of the stuff!

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

madrone berries..crushed...spread over the oil...great natural defence from poison oak.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

i found this out last year...it is all about breaking down the oil from the plant so it does not seap into the skin.

 

[cwdigger]

I can tell you how to help that and you don't have to spend any money This is an old remedy that my grandmother told me it works on poison ivy, and sumac, turn the water on in the tub until its warm, run your "infected" parts under this warm water while gradually increases the temperature of the hot water,keep running the area under the water until you get the water so hot that you cant stand it. Then pat it dry with a towel don't rub it dry but PAT. I know this sounds crazy but what the hot water does is opens up you pores, and some of the poisen will come out on top, and when you pat it dry it takes it off your skin. Just try it and let me know how it turns out.

Cw
www.wedigdixie.com

 

[Noodle]

Don't forget that the oils from the leaves you're walking through rub on your jeans/socks/shoes and contaminate them. When you get home and go to undress, you may be contaminating yourself with what's already on your clothes. I've done that more times than I care to remember. Go out in the woods, come home, undress, and the next morning or even a week later, go to put the clothes in the laundry and hours later have blisters on my arms from handling them.

Also, in my woods I have vines 2-3 inches thick that began to grow YEARS ago as small vines (poison ivy). They latch onto a tree and turn into a monster ivy. Doesn't hurt to handle because the oils are in the green leaves, but if you cut them down to clean up the area and then burn them, bad news. The smoke can reach your lungs. Be careful.

 

[Lowbatts]

The Itchy nad Scratchy Show!
Ooops, the Itchy AND Scratchy Show.

Been there, scarred that...

 

[wormhole]

So after ignoring my wife's pleas to see the family doctor on Monday, I awoke Tuesday to see my entire face portray a "Raging Bull" poster. The itch has become unbearable. After near scalding myself itch-less in the tub, I got up the courage to put on some underwear (they are a little snug with all the extra blisters), get dressed and head to the doctors. My family doctor of 31 years did not recognize me . After I assured him it was me, he got down to business.

I already knew it wasn't poison Ivy, he agreed. Poison Sumac..out. Poison Oak..he said no. I know poison oak is usually reserved for my metal detecting brothers out west so I gave him that one although I really thought it (the rash) looked a lot like poison Oak. Now I had to figure out what I had eaten and other places that I may have been to. Barring the garlic knot pizza I ate on Friday evening..my diet was pretty consistent with what I usually eat. Your 4 basic food groups. Meat, potatoes, Beer and fudge pops.

So he says to me.."do anything out of the ordinary this weekend"? Then it hit me..I cleaned out my tool shed on Saturday. Well, I started to...it's a big job and the beer was cold if you know what I am saying? The reason I had to clean out my shed..it was invaded over the winter. There were signs of epic rodent warfare everywhere. Entire villages and battlefields. Every nook and cranny held evidence of mouse grenades and munitions storage. I figured I would have to sneak in and take out the perimeter before I could get to the heavy armored division. So...I pick the first 2 boxes that were closest to my point of demarcation.

Inside were the hummels that my wife and I have collected over the years at various yard sales. A few pieces of Lladro and some family crap. As I dug into the boxes, I realized that my crap was way outnumbered.

The rodent waste was an inch thick at the bottom of the box. Since I was outside and the hanta virus is so rare on Long Island..I figured I could maneuver my way around their land mines and pick out my stuff before hurling the box in the trash Heep. Gloves..nah, that would make too much sense. After cleaning out 2 of the boxes, I retired to my man cave for a frosty cold beer. I did notice a paper cut on my thumb though so I went into my house and scrubbed it out just to be on the safe side. Or so I though .

Luckily for me, my lungs and breathing checked out fine with the Doctor and I had no sign of fever. He said that although it is extremely rare, he could not rule it out nor could he rule out that it was an allergic reaction to food, roots, dirt, fith's disease or baseball. Gee..why not just tell me I am allergic to sex? So I took my cortisone shot, got a script for some prednisone and picked up some Bennedryll. I left the Doctor's office feeling a little underwhelmed at the prognosis and with pain in my shoulder from the Cortisone shot.

The moral of this story..if you happen to be digging..wear your gloves. Oh and don't eat the rye seeds in the dirt...I am sure they aren't edible.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

living within thirty miles of the hantavirus central...i almost fell out of the chair at your discription...whew...that is a death sentence in northern arizona.

thank god you are fine.

wear golves...yep.